Every Tuesday the D.J's Music Site HBCU Campaign Fund organization will highlight a HBCU Chancellor or President. This is in promotion of our social media campaign to bring awareness and support the excellence of historically black colleges and universities.

This Tuesday (6/23/15), we highlighted Dr. Gwendolyn E. Boyd, (pictured on the right), President of Alabama State University.

Dr. Gwendolyn  E. Boyd serves as the 14th President of Alabama State University, which is located in Montgomery, Alabama.

Boyd is Montgomery, Alabama native, she earned her undergraduate degree from Alabama State University with a major in mathematics and a double minor in physics and music. Upon graduation, Boyd received a fellowship to pursue graduate work at Yale University, where she was the first African-American female to earn a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from there. She also has earned both the Master of Divinity and the Doctor of Ministry degrees from Howard University.

Boyd came to ASU on an academic scholarship, and in her words, the University "embraced me, invested in me and changed my life inexorably." As a college student, her academic and leadership skills were evident, as she was inducted Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society, Beta Kappa Chi Education Honor Society and Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society; pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and was the Beta Eta Chapter president on campus; was a member of and traveled with the Young Hearts gospel singers; was elected Miss Alabama State University (1976-1977) and graduated summa cum laude in 1977.

Body's professional career at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) was highlighted by exemplary leadership and dedicated service. Early in her career, she was an analyst in the Strategic Systems Department, where she was part of engineering teams that conducted independent analyses and operational performance evaluations of Strategic Weapons Systems on Polaris, Poseidon and Trident submarines. In 1999, she became the Assistant for Development Programs and was later named Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff at APL. In  1997, Boyd was selected to serve on the Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council, and served as chair from 2001-2004, reporting directly to the President of Johns Hopkins University as the council worked on issues of diversity, inclusion, civility and respect across the various divisions of Johns Hopkins.

In 2000, Boyd was elected to serve as the 22nd National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., an international organization of more than 250,000 members. Known as the "Technology President," Boyd helped to establish technology in all facets of the sorority's activities and administration. Her four-year tenure as president included a number of transformative accomplishments, including the launching of Project SEE (Science in Everyday Experiences), an initiative funded by a $1.6 million National Science Foundation grant with a goal of promoting math and science for middle school African-American girls. She also led the sorority's humanitarian and education advocacy efforts in various parts of Africa, including Swaziland, Lesotho and Soweto, South Africa.

Because of her efforts in advancing education, Boyd was nominated by President Barack Obama and received U.S. Senate confirmation to serve as a trustee to the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in 2009. And in January 2014, President Barack Obama appointed Boyd and 14 other individuals to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African-Americans. This commission is charged with strengthening the nation by improving educational outcomes for African-Americans and ensuring that all African-Americans receive and education that prepares them for college, productive careers and satisfying lives.

Boyd also is a minister and an ordained itinerant elder in the AME Church. While in Maryland, she served on the ministerial staff of Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, Md.

Boyd work has earned dozen of awards and honors, including two honorary doctorates and Congressional recognitions. She has been honored with 28 keys to various cities throughout the country, declarations of Gwendolyn E. Boyd day in eight cities in the country, civic citations, and various leadership and volunteer awards, as well as professional awards for her achievements in the fields of engineering and higher educations.

#ChooseASU

For more information about Alabama State University, visit www.alasu.edu.